CROSSROADS
**Formerly Known as Confirmation
Crossroads is an adaptation of the formerly known Confirmation process. Students in 5th and 6th grade have the opportunity to walk through 6 sessions of discovering the basics of their Christian Faith. Through their journey, they will come to understand their relationship with Jesus on a deeper level to prayerfully choosing salvation and baptism (or remembrance of their infant baptism).
Difference between Confirmation and Crossroads?: If you are already members of St. Paul, this would be the time & age where your student could make the decision to join as well. If you are not, there is no requirement for them to join St. Paul in order to complete their Crossroads journey. The heart of this journey is to walk with your student through what it means to be a Christian, their salvation in Christ, and the meaning/action of baptism.
If you have any questions, please contact Selby Oltremari at selby@stpaulos.org
NOTES ON CHOOSING A MENTOR:
Helpful Information for Selecting a Crossroads Mentor
What is a Crossroads mentor?
A mentor is an adult who acts as a guide and special friend to a confirmand and......needs to be someone of mature faith who can serve as a guide and companion on this important part of their journey of faith....is someone who will encourage your child to express his or her faith and questions openly....needs to be the kind of person who listens and who recognizes that he or she is still growing in the faith, rather than an “I have all the answers” kind of adult....ideally is a member of our church and, generally speaking, girls need women as mentors and boys need men as mentors.
The mentor you select will need to be willing to...
...establish a meaningful relationship with his/her student.
...pray for his/her confirmand and all who are part of the crossroads experience.
...attend 6 crossroads sessions as seen on the crossroads schedule.
...attend worship with his/her student as much as possible.
...schedule times outside of church to hang out with their student.
...always inform their student in advance if they will not be able to attend a Sunday session and reschedule a time to make-up the missed lesson.
...participate in Crossroads Sunday Worship
....agree to complete a background check in accordance with our church’s Safe Sanctuary policy.
A word of encouragement: Sometimes parents are hesitant to ask someone to serve as their child’s mentor once they see how much time and effort is required of the mentor. Please take a leap of faith and ask someone anyway. Let the person know upfront how much is being asked of them, and then trust that he or she will be honest about whether or not he/she can follow through. Experience has proven that the mentors often get as much out of the experience as the students.
It is also tempting to pick a family member to serve as your child’s mentor. We discourage this because it is important that your child establish meaningful Christian relationships outside his/her family. If you need help in choosing a Mentor, contact Selby!
